Tortellini Soup

Yummy served with bread on a cold winter's day. Hannah gobbles this up (which is a rarity these days).

1 lb mild italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. water
2 (13 3/4 oz) cans of beef broth
1/2 cup white wine or apple juice
3 carrots, sliced
1 (28-oz) can crused tomatoes
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 c. sliced zucchini (optional)
4 Tbsp parsley, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
8 oz cheese tortellini (refrigerated or frozen)

fresh grated Parm cheese.

In large soup pan, brown sausage. Drain fat and add chopped onion and garlic and cook until tender. Add water, broth, wine, carrots, tomatoes, basil, oregano, zucchini, parsley and green pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes or longer. Add tortellini 5 to 10 minutes before serving and cook until tender, but not soggy. Garnish each serving with Parm cheese.

Yummy Grilled Checken Shishkabobs

This is one of Jack's very favorite dinners. The chicken turns out so tender and yummy.

1/2 cup olive oil
4 Tbsp lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves or chopped fresh basil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes
Your favorite veggies cut into pieces. We like pineapple, red onion and green pepper. You might also use mushrooms, squash, etc.

Combine oil, lemon juice and seasonings into a large Ziploc bag. Add chicken and marinate for several hours. Skewer chicken pieces alternately with veggies. Broil or grill kabobs 10 to 15 minutes, brushing with marinade. Bring reserved marinade to a boil and serve with kabobs, if desired.

Train Waffles

Ok, this isn't really a recipe. I wish I'd posted it with the Belgian waffle recipe below, but I forgot and I thought it was too cute to pass up. Our nursery leaders bring waffles to nursery once in awhile. They cut them into long strips and call them train waffles because they look like train tracks. Cole loves waffles and now he calls them train waffles. :) We're really into naming food after things he likes because it gets him to actually eat instead of just wanting to play all the time. Also, we're getting really good at sharing our food with his cars. That's always a good way to get him to eat too. :) Love to all the funny toddlers out there! We'd love toddler food tips if you have any!

Ty's Mom's Belgian Waffles

So, Ty LOVES waffles, but sadly isn't a Bisquick guy. His mom spoiled him with these yummy waffles. The fist time I tried to make them was 2 years ago and they were disgusting! (I think I didn't measure the salt... oops!) Anyway, we made them again today and they were great. Definateley worth the extra time. Sorry - no pictures. Our neighbors were here with their cute kiddo and the place was a mad house. Someday we'll have enough space to have people over comfortably. Anyway, Ty sent this email to me with the recipe in it:

Michelle,

I’m immortalizing the waffle recipe by e-mailing it to you. Now it will be in more places. We could even put it on the recipe blog.

Real Belgian Waffles

1 pkg dry yeast
2 cups lukewarm milk
4 eggs separated
1 tsp vanilla
2.5 cups sifted flour
½ tsp salt1 tbsp sugar (increase slightly by sprinkling a little when dissolving yeast)
½ c. melted butter

Sprinkle yeast (and sugar) over warm milk. Stir to dissolve. Beat egg yolks and add to yeast mixture w/ vanilla. Stir together flour, salt, and sugar. Add to liquid ingredients. Stir in melted butter and combine thoroughly. Beat egg whites until stiff. Carefully fold into batter. Let mixture stand in a warm place about 45 min or until mixture doubles in bulk.

Behold the power of the Belgian Waffle.

Tyler

Fruit Salsa and Baked Cinnamon Chips

A Yummy Summer Treat

Fruit Salsa & Cinnamon Chips
INGREDIENTS:

* 2 kiwis, peeled and diced
* 2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
* 8 ounces raspberries
* 1 pound strawberries
* (You can substitute whatever fruit you like, I have used diced bananas and blueberries as well)
* 2 tablespoons white sugar
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
*
* 10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
* butter flavored cooking spray
* 2 cups cinnamon sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture


Love,
Mel

Call For Recieps: Crockpot?

Hi everyone,
Don't know if anyone ever looks at this. But in case you do AND you have a crockpot recipe you just love, please send it my way. I am really into the crockpot right now because I usually feel pretty good in the morning but horrible in the afternoon, so if I don't take advantage of the morning to cook there is no dinner for Jack and Hannah. Thanks in advance! I'll be posting some of my favorite crockpot recipes here soon.

Minestrone Soup

I know it is summer and most people don't want to eat soup, but I seriously crave this everyday and it is about the only thing I can eat during the 1st trimester of pregnancy. I like to double it and freeze some for later.

Minestrone Soup
Serves 8

1. 3 tablespoons olive oil
2. 1 cup minced white onion (about 1 small onion)
3. 1/2 cup chopped zucchini
4. 1/2 cup frozen cut italian green beans
5. 1/4 cup minced celery (about 1/2 stalk)
6. 4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
7. 4 cups vegetable broth (Swanson is good *note: Do not use chicken broth!*)
8. 2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained
9. 2 (15 ounce) cans small white beans or great northern beans, drained
10. 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
11. 1/2 cup carrot, julienned or shredded
12. 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
13. 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
14. 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
15. 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
16. 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
17. 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
18. 3 cups hot water
19. 4 cups fresh baby spinach
20. 1/2 cup small shell pasta

Directions

1. Heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.
2. Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.
3. Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, and spices.
4. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.
6. Makes about eight 1 1/2 cup servings.

Beans and Rice!!

Ok - I know this sounds funny, but I love beans and rice, but I have never been able to come up with a recipe that I like - I've made it different every time and frankly, it's not been very tasty. Cole likes it, but that's about it. We had dinner with some friends the other night and made fake Cafe Rio food and I think they've found the true rice and beans recipes! SO GOOD!!!

Credit for the rice goes to Brytton and Madeline Long! Great recipe inventors and great friends! Brytton goes to Western with Tyler and is a year ahead in school. We met them and their cute little girl at our Institute class at the school. (I stole this recipe from Madeline's cooking blog - I hope that it's ok to share Madeline... :))

Preparations:

In a blender, blend:
One 4 oz can of Green Chilies
A Handful of Cilantro

Mix with:
2 cups of rice
4 cups of water
1 Tablespoon of Lime Juice
2 Tablespoons of Butter
1 teaspoon of California Garlic Powder
4 Tablespoons of Chicken Soup Base

Cook as you would normally cook rice in a rice cooker or in a covered pot until water is gone.

SOOOOOO TASTY!

Drum roll for beans! This recipe is from Loni Platt, another good friend here in CA. Her husband is also a student at Western - they're a year ahead of us and are moving to Oregon in June with the Longs. We're really sad to see everybody go. Loni served as a missionary in Brazil and is a fantastic cook! (I stole this one off Madeline's cooking blog too, so I hope it's ok.)

Beans in a pressure cooker - so fast!!!

For 1-2 cups of Black Beans:

Sort Beans. Looks for unattractive beans and even rocks. :)

Clean beans in a strainer and cool water.Put in Pressure Cooker.

Cover with 2 knuckles above of water. Yes, your knuckles. When in doubt, it is better to have more water than less (they will burn).

Put the lid on, lock, turn heat on high until weighted top starts to "spin and dance", then turn down to med-high. Cook for approximately 25-30 minutes. Turn off heat.
Don't forget to let the pressure realize by itself. When the pressure lock drops, take off the lid and check the beans. If they are still hard, put them in for an additional 10-15 min. You also may need to add more water.

Loni's Brazilian Beans Recipe:
1/2 beef bouillon cube (Loni uses the Knorr Brand)
1-2 cloves of chopped garlic (optional but, very good)
1 bunch of chopped green onions
1 bunch of chopped cilantro

Directions:
Pour a little vegetable oil (Not Olive) in a skillet over med-high heat. Saute ingredients until they smell good (1-2 min). Ladle 2 or so cups of broth from the beans into the skillet. Let them simmer together for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add salt.

Return broth to the beans that are on med heat. Taste and add salt as needed. For thicker beans, crush beans against side of pan and allow them to simmer for 10 minutes.

These are SOOOO good too! - probably the best beans I've ever had!

Ode to Costco Vegetable Chicken Salad

Most people probably dont' need a recipe for chicken salad, but this was an idea born out of what we had in our fridge that we really have enjoyed since it's been getting warmer here in CA. (Plus it's easy to make and not super expensive :) )

Serves about 6

Ingredients:

1 can cooked chicken (sometimes I cook my own, but Costco's canned chicken makes it easy and doesn't heat up your kitchen...)
1 red pepper
5 stalks of celery
1 cup of artichoke hearts (once again, Costco!!!)
1/2 red onion
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/2 cup mayonaise
black pepper

Directions:

Chop everything to a small size, mix and serve with Costco's cook it yourself tortillas, multi grain bread, whole wheat crackers, pita bread, English muffins, croissants, or whatever else sounds good. Sometimes we add tomato, cucumber or avacado slices or lettuce to our sandwiches.

I save some of the chopped veggies out for Cole (he loves to eat raw veggies - especailly onions) and he likes chunks of chicken, but is not a big fan of mayo.

If you like a more meaty chicken salad, it's really easy to add more meat. We're really trying to eat more vegetables, so this works out great for us right now.

You can make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge or even make entire wraps ahead of time for lunches. (Just a note: if you plan on keeping whole wraps in the fridge for very long use less mayo and lemon juice or keep tortillas and salad separateley. Pre-made wraps get soggy after a day or so.)

Bang Bang Chicken and Shrimp

Jack and I always order this dish at Cheesecake factory and we LOVE it, so I decided to try it at home. It seriously turned out so good! It tasted just like Cheesecake's but better because you could put on more curry or more coconut or whatever you like. Don't be intimidated if you haven't seen some of the ingredient's before, I found them all in Smith's asian and spice isles and they weren't expensive. Jack about died when he tasted it and Hannah ate tons of it too! I wish I had a picture of Hannah's face while she was scarfing it down. Here you go, this one is totally worth it:


SERVES 4

Ingredients

CURRY SAUCE
2 teaspoons chili oil
1/4 cup onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic cloves
2 teaspoons ginger
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups coconut milk
2 medium carrots, julienned
1 small zucchini, julienned
1/2 cup frozen peas

PEANUT SAUCE
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons water
4 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon chili oil
2 chicken breast fillets
16 large raw shrimp, shelled
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 cups cooked white rice

GARNISH
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, crumbled
2 tablespoons peanuts
2 green onions, julienned

Directions
1Make the curry sauce by heating the chili oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot add the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for about about 30 seconds then add the chicken broth. Add the spices (cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, black pepper, and turmeric) and stir well. Simmer for 5 minutes then add the coconut milk. Bring mixture back up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken. Add the julienned carrots and zucchini, and the frozen peas. Simmer mixture for 10 minutes or until carrots become tender.
2Make peanut sauce by combining peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and chili oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat just until mixture begins to bubble, then cover the pan and remove it from the heat.
3Toast the flaked coconut by preheating your oven to 300 degrees. Spread coconut on a baking sheet and toast it in the oven. Stir the coconut around every 10 minutes or so that it browns evenly, but watch it closely in the last 5 minutes so it doesn't get too dark. After 25 to 30 minutes the coconut should be light brown. Take it out of the oven and let it cool.
4Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Coat the chicken and shrimp with corn starch. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add the coated chicken to the pan and sauté it for a couple minutes, turning as it cooks. Add the shrimp to the pan. Cook the shrimp and chicken for a couple minutes, until it's done, then remove everything to a rack or towel to drain.
5Build the two plates (or you can divide the meal into four portions) by filling a soup bowl with 2 cups of white rice. Press down on the rice. Invert the bowl onto the center of a plate, tap it a bit, then lift off the bowl leaving a formed pile of rice in the center of each plate. Arrange an equal portion of chicken and shrimp around the rice. Spoon the curry sauce and vegetables over the chicken and shrimp, being careful not to get any sauce on top of the rice.
6Drizzle peanut sauce over the dish concentrating most of it on the rice. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of crumbled, dried parsley over the center of the rice. Add a tablespoon of chopped peanuts on the parsley, then place a pile of julienned green onions on top. Sprinkle 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of toasted coconut over the chicken and shrimp and serve it up.

Kid Stuff Request

Hey guys! What do you or people you know make that is super kid friendly (helathy and gets eaten)? I feel like I feed Cole the same stuff a lot of the time. He eats any type of fruit under the sun, but we sometimes struggle to get protien, whole grains and veggies in. Any suggestions? Here's a list of stuff he LOVES (some healthy and some not so healthy) and that he will eat most of the time:

*low fat turkey hot dogs
*chunks of ground beef (with or without taco seasoning or Italian seasoning)
*chunks of chicken
*open face grilled cheese sandwiches on wheat bread
*peanut buter and honey on whole wheat toast
*cream of wheat with cran rasins
*oatmeal (especially the instant sugary kind... :) )
*toaseted bagels
* raw carrots (but I wonder if he gets much nutrition out of them - he still has only 6 front teeth.)
*cold cooked peas
*cold cooked corn
*steamed broccoli
*any fruit
*anything he can dip in ketchup, peanut butter or yogurt
*anything he can drink through a straw (especially fruit smoothies)


Any ideas? I especially need better veggie ideas and snack ideas. We're on a gold fish, animal cracker and pretzel kick...

HealthiER Pasta, Chicken & Broccoli "Alfredo"

Serves a lot!

Ok, this is a recipe we made up and have done over and over until we think we got it right. None of the measurements are exact, but hey - a little more or less garlic and spices - to taste. :) We buy huge bags of broccoli at Costco and are always trying to finish the whole bag. Here's our solution:

12 - 16 oz. Pasta (we like farfalle)
2 - 3 large chicken breasts
3 - 5 c. broccoli
1t. seasoned black pepper (or regular pepper, we just like the little extra flavor)
1 t. salt
1 1/2 - 2 T Italian seasoning
1 T olive oil
1/8 - 1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 red pepper
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bottle of white sauce (We got Ragu white sauce on sale so we used that, but if you want to make your own alfredo sauce, it would for sure be delicious.)
3/4 c. milk (optinal)

1. Cube chicken, chop red pepper, mince garlic and steam broccoli.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1 1/2 t.olive oil over medium - medium-high heat. Add cubed chicken and 1/4 of your minced garlic. Let cook 5 minutes then turn. Add Italian seasoning, 1 t. salt, 1/2 t. seasoned black pepper, and 2 T of parmesan cheese to chicken. Cook until chicken is tender and cheese is melted. (I usually add the cheese when the chicken is almost done)

3. While chicken is cooking, warm 1 1/2 t. olive oil in a sauce pan. Add chopped red pepper, 1/4 t. seasoned black pepper (and maybe a little salt), the rest of the garlic. When the pepper starts to get tender, add bottled white sauce and 3/4 c. milk. Add the rest of the parmesan cheese (or to taste). Heat until it boils. Add broccoli.

4. Mix sauce and chicken together, pour over noodles and mix.

Wow! I'm just realizing how bad I am at writing down a recipe... sorry. Hope this makes sense. We really like it. I think the bottled sauce is healthier and a little lighter than the alfredo sauce I sometimes make, but I do like this easy alfredo sauce recipe too:

Boil 2 pints of cream, add 1/2 - 1 c. parmesan cheese and garlic to taste. Boil until it thickens a little. Remove from heat. Add 1/2 t. nutmeg.

If you use this alfredo sauce recipe, you probably won't want to add more parmesan cheese to the broccoli and chicken recipe. :)

Enjoy!

Blue Cheese Burgers

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves 4

1 T olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 t. crushed dried thyme
1/4 t. salt
1 1/4 lb. extra lean ground beef
2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. crumbled Roquefort cheese
4 hamburger buns

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, thyme and salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until onion is tender and lightly browned. Remove from pan; keep warm.

2. Mix ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, and cheese. Shape into 4 patties. Add to skillet. Brown on medium-high heat for 4 minutes per side. Reduce heat and continue to cook until done (160* F), about 1 minute per side. Arrange patties in buns and top with reserved onion mixture.

Ok, so maybe this isn't the MOST healthy thing we could eat, but Tyler and I are both suckers for blue cheese. We went to Red Robin for Valentine's and god great burgers, but the blue cheese burger we tried left a little to be desired. This recipe with the cheese flavor mixed with the meat tured out to be really good. We had them one night topped with blue cheese dressing and tomatoes and I tried it with dijon mustard another time. The 4 burgers went a long way. Neither of us were able to finish one for dinner. The burgers (minus the dressing) turn out to be about 390 calories each (way less than a Bruger King special). Next time we might add lettuce and other toppings, but they were great this way too. Anyway, another random Dan's Food recipe. :) Hope you like it!

Roasted Corn Salad with Queso Blanco

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Serves 4

2 c. frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 T fresh lime juice (I used a little more)
1 T olive oil
Dash cayenne pepper (or seasoned black pepper)
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
2 T minced fresh cilantro (I used a little more because I like it a little spicier)
1/3 c. shredded or fineley chopped queso blanco cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400* F. Pour corn into shallow roasting pan. Roast for 5 minutes or until corn is light golden color. Pour into salad bowl. (I put it in the freezer for 5 minutes while I got all the other stuff ready to cool it down faster.)

2. Combine lime juice, oil, cayenne pepper, salt, and peppe rin cup. Stir and pour over corn. Add cilantro and toss well. Sprinkle with queso blanco cheese. (I stirred it in too.)

You can use fresh corn if you want - the recipe suggests roasting it on the cob then scraping the kernels into the salad.

I grabbed this recipe at Dan's grocery store several years ago and have just tried it this week. Tyler and I had it the other night with our burgers and we really liked it. I wish I could have found some low fat cheese, but the whole milk cheese tasted really good. :) We'll probably add a little more lime juice again next time and maybe some fineley chopped jalapenos to make it really spicey if we're feeling crazy. It reminded us a little of Babbacoa's mild salsa. We think it would be good on/with burritos too.

Thanks for sharing all your recipes! We're enjoying them!

Tres Leches Cupcakes

Have you ever tried tres leches at cafe rio? It is an amazing south american dessert. It is Jack's very favorite, so I have been trying to duplicate it at home with no success. But I just tried this recipe and it is amazing! I love to cook but I don't really like to bake, but this dessert is totally worth the time and effort once in awhile.


Makes about 28 cupcakes


8 eggs, separated
1 1/3 C granulated sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/4 C all purpose flour
3 T corn starch
1 t baking powder
pinch of salt
6 oz evaporated milk (1/2 can)
11 oz condensed milk (3/4 can)
3/4 C heavy cream or 1 can of coconut milk, unsweetened (I used heavy cream)

In a big bowl, beat the egg yolks and 1 C of the sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add the vanilla.
In another bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, corn starch, and salt.
Mix until combined with the yolk mixture.
Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
Add 1/3 C sugar at the end. Do not over beat!
Fold the whites into the yolk and flour mixture, being very careful not to deflate the batter.
Fill cupcake liners about halfway.
Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until golden brown and when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
With a serrated knife, remove the top golden layer on each cupcake to expose the sponge. You can toss the tops in the trash or proceed to eat them all! You can see the pile of cut off tops on the left edge of the photo above.
Mix the three milks and spoon them into the cupcakes.
Put about three T of the milks into each cupcake.
Wait for the milks to be absorbed and add more. You will see a pool of milks at first, like the photo above, but soon the milks will completely absorb into the sponge cake.
Refrigerate the cupcakes covered for 5 hours or overnight.
Cover with whipped cream (or a merengue) and cinnamon or strawberries.